Choose.

I am generally a fan of any experience that invites me to take a hard look at myself, put my priorities in check, and learn about how I operate as a person. I never expected that buying a home would be this much of a self-development process- or teach me about how I tend to make decisions in life.

As I met with my real estate agent today, I had an experience all new to me. I heard myself as if I were hovering above. Like a dream or a ghost sequence in a movie, I saw my words in the context of my life. And it went a little something like this;

Step One: To avoid making a decision or looking picky, give a list of every single idea of what you want that you have ever had in your life. Everyone TOTALLY knows that people hate people who know what they want (right?).

Step Two: Ask for opinions from everyone you know so you don’t have to commit to the big commitments of life, and there is always someone else to blame if things go awry.

Step Three: NEVER trust your own opinion.

Step Four: Try on every option from your now very long list of possible realities. Realize you have no idea what you’re talking about. Avoid the whole subject altogether for a month, and pretend it doesn’t exist.

Step Five: Take on a new hobby to distract yourself from the pending commitment you know you will have to make.

Step Six: Complain to friends about how you feel like a failure. Seek compliments and search email inbox for motivating acknowledgement emails you have received in the past to ‘perk’ you up.

Step Seven: Drink too much coffee one day and get effin serious with yourself about what’s important in life. Let an inspiring book/ted talk/article kick you in the ass and make you realize clearly what you DO want.

Step Eight: Sit down at desk or local coffee shop. Get ‘er done. (Note: Do not answer phone calls or emails or go on facebook, or you will be back at Step Five all over again)

Step Nine: Tell everyone and their moms what you discovered.

Step Ten: Let the world (or the magic of networking) bring you what you want.

So knowing this, wouldn’t it just be easier to skip to Step Eight first thing? Seeing this set out, I realize where I have alienated those around me in my ‘process’ (usually around Steps 2-6). But this is a huge brain pattern to shorten, especially when the breakthrough of Step Seven feels so damn good after months of shit.

The thing is, you all know (just as I do) what you need to do in order to get what you want. How do you lose weight? Eat well and exercise. How do you make more money? Work hard and ask for higher pay. But knowing what you need to do isn’t inspiring. It certainly doesn’t propel you into action.

I realized over the last few days that I have a talent I didn’t even know I had. The ability to visualize the future in a way that inspires me to act. And the ability to help others create their own visions. It’s picturing the end result that can skip you to step eight. I intend to keep researching brain patterns until I have Step Eight become Step One, and then teach others how to do it. 

So I leave you with the words of a great Canadian band, as I map out how to build Step Eights into next week’s schedule. And knowing now that my best ideas and accomplishments have come to fruition in coffee shops the country over, you will likely find me there every day next week.

Thank you ma’am for what you’ve done,

I know now where I’m going cause I’ve found just where I’m from

Getting easier with every task.

It’s not the first time and it won’t be the last.